TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[AFK7~Land of Roses]

I love those chill pads at the beginning. Very innovative chord progression you have there. The bass added a lot, too. It progressed a little slowly, although I loved it when the drums came in. They were crisp and sharp, if a bit loud. The synth at :49 was a little harsh-sounding, though. I would suggest EQ'ing out some of the highest-pitched tones of it. The next bit with that string synth at around 1:10 was cool too. You introduce a lot of new instruments here and there, and your sense of harmony is pretty good, but this piece lacks significant structural changes which would really give it a more enhanced variety and engagement value. That synth at 1:53 also got a little annoying, probably because of a combination of the repetition and extremely high-pitched tone quality it had. The synth at 2:40 was also quite loud and in-your-face, which I'm not sure is what you were going for given the chill vibe of the beat, pads, and bass. It also couldn't hurt to think a little more about your mixing and production value. Occasionally, it seems that certain instruments were distorted by others, such as the pulsing string synth and arpeggios at around 1:40. Again, you should think more carefully about how you're Equalizing all your instruments. PM me if you have questions about this. Also, I thought the ending was a bit sudden and/or lazy. It at least could've used some reverb to smooth it out a little and make it feel more conclusive. Overall, it's a piece with a lot of potential that's a little rough around the edges. Keep at it, man! ;)

FaeryTaleAdventurer responds:

Thank you for commenting!

~AFK7

[Knock]

I liked your synth samples, although the chord progression was a bit cliché. I think the beat was cool, and you have a good sense of harmony. It's a simple yet cute and upbeat song. I would've liked to see a little more dynamic contrast later in the song, although overall the structure is good. You might've needed some more smooth transitions at :51 and 1:07, among other places. Might I suggest using sweeps or crashes? In addition, the ending was very sudden. It might help smooth over this piece a little if you added some reverb, and it feels pretty inconclusive at the end, especially since the piece doesn't end on the tonic. My main problem with the piece, however, was the mixing. Do you hear how, at :18, the chords at the beginning get MUCH softer, and are almost inaudible whenever the snare hits? That's because some of the frequencies in your chords are interfering with some of the tones in the snares, and you can fix that through a process called mixing. I don't know what software you use to make music, but I do know the software I use, FL Studio, is a common one to use to make this kind of music.

First of all, press F9 in FL Studio. The window that just came up is called a mixer. If you click on the "master" tab, there might be a box on the right side of the window that says "Fruity Limiter." Please click on the arrow next to that box, and then click "none." You NEVER want there to be a limiter on the master channel. EVER.

Another great thing you can do to limit distortion is called Equalizing, or EQ'ing, for short. I won't delve too deep into this now, as it's pretty complicated, but I will give you one basic tip which should really help you out. In each mixer tab (that is, for each instrument you have), click on the arrow next to the box that says "1," on the right-hand side of the mixer window. Then scroll down to "Parametric EQ 2." You can experiment with this more on your own or consult YouTube tutorials on how to use it best. For now, though, a little will go a long way: drag the knobs below 200 Hz (there's a scale at the bottom of the EQ window) all the way down to zero for EVERY instrument EXCEPT the bass and kick.

Okay...hope all this helped. Good luck man, and I sincerely hope you keep working at it. I give you all this advice because for years I struggled to increase my viewership on Newgrounds without knowing basic mixing tips like these. ^^ I hope to hear some more of your work soon. ;D

Adreil responds:

No no, this is awesome! Thank you so much for the help. I've heard about these things before, but I never really understood why you needed them. Thanks for shedding some light on it. Haha, I don't use FL, but I think I know what you're talking about. I agree that the ending sucks...I'm not very good at those, and I'll work on mixing everything. Thanks for the review and the help! I hope I don't disappoint you

[Yesterday (Cover)]

Oooo...I love the emotion and little roll things in the piano, like at :08. The vocals might need some more consideration, however. Allow me to elaborate: first of all, I want you to think more about where and how you are breathing. At times, it even sounded like you were about to run out of breath and then had to force the air out (e.x., :18). It made what I think of as a sad piece filled with longing unnecessarily angry. There are times when your voice cuts off suddenly, like at 1:04, which I fear is also the result of lack of planning where to breathe. Your voice sometimes sounds rather nasally when musically it would make sense to aim for a richer, darker tone, such as at 1:43. This is especially noticeable on the high notes, which also come across as a bit forced. I might suggest having a professional evaluate your vocal range, if it's at all possible. Otherwise, I like the piano solo towards the end (even though it's not really a solo), and I applaud your continuous efforts at adding lyrics to your pieces. Keep it up, Ale! ;)

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

The microphone version of the piano versus the recorded version playing together makes it seem as though an electronical piano is out of tune -_-
It annoys me every time I listen to this XD

"The vocals might need some more consideration, however."

=> What, noooo? You caaan't be seriooous?

Well duh with the breathing, I even mentioned it in the descripton :p
But come on, 0:18 is a pretty bad example! We all know I can hold a tone for longer than 3 seconds (as I start singing at 0:15). I'm just not thinking about what I'm doing at all, and I probably was more focused on the chord shift there. A far better example of what you mentioned is 1:11 ;)

Also, while this is a sad piece filled with longing, take a moment and listen to the lyrics. Clearly there's a lot of regret and self-reproach in it. And listen to how heavy I'm playing on the piano at examplewise 1:23, does that sound like only sadness and longing to you? You're right about 0:18, but for the wrong reason, ahahahaha! ...

1:04 is the same as 0:18. I cut the note too early, but most likely, it was to breath in properly before a lot of air needed to be used in the next part.

"nasally"

=> Yup. I blame my dry throat. I don't know why that became nasal in this case, but I definitely had difficulty with the higher notes. Usually, while I'm not better at singing, I can reach higher notes with less issue. I would've definitely wanted this to be more rich though. The only high note that I managed to reach pretty softly was the one at 1:50, and even that one is too weak :(

"I might suggest having a professional evaluate your vocal range, if it's at all possible."

=> Ahahah, funny joke XD Those cost money, and demand dedication :p

Thanks for the review! It's 7:15 am, so sorry for my extra load of sarcasm/bad humor!

[The Six Tales of the Orient]

Oooo...I love the pizzicato-esque synths at the beginning. It's very moody and atmospheric, and I think the flute-like synth and sweep at :17 really added to the effect. The drums around :34 are a little loud for my tastes, but that's true in a lot of your tracks, a remainder of your drum-and-bass days, I believe. ;) That grouchy bass that first appears really up-front in the mix at 1:06 added to the piece a lot IMO. I loved the melody at 1:36, although at times its rhythm is a little hard to follow and it was a little loud as well, I believe. I love the Far Eastern theme, though. ^^ I also liked that extended breakdown section that started around 2:40, and what you started doing with the drums around 3:15 was really cool. I personally think you should try doing more melodic-based stuff like this. ;) That grittier-sounding synth that comes in at 4:08 also works strangely well with the synth at 4:17. It has an angry, energetic quality and a chill quality at the same time, which I love, and you use it to transition back into the "refrain" at 4:50 so well. This is also one of your less repetitive pieces, which I appreciate. I think you underestimate your own mixing abilities, because everything sounds pretty clear to me. ^_^ I kind of actually liked the ending, despite its being a bit of a fade-out. I would've liked to see you have more of a conclusive final riff with that last atmospheric synth that ultimately fades out, though. Anyway, in general this is really solid work again, RoVeRDude58! I look forward to hearing your other future tracks. ;D

[Extra Normal Sound Charges]

I liked the synths and nice, crisp drums, although I believe you've used several of those samples before. Which DAW do you use again? Anyway, I like how you started adding in some atmospheric elements at :18. It seemed to lack some bass tones from what I can discern without headphones, but perhaps that's only the first minute or two of the piece. I really liked the fuller sound you started using around 2:10. That sort of climax is exactly the reason "Moonlit Dream" was so enjoyable IMO. Your sense of harmony is rather good, and I've always admired your mixing abilities. It is repetitive and generally progresses very slowly, but you already know that. I'm excited for the album, but I think that after it you should try to experiment and broaden your horizons a little more, if you know what I mean. I liked how the ending came together in a final climax so well, and the modulation around 5:08 enhanced this coming-together effect. I see you alluded to my distaste for fade-out endings in the description, so I'll say nothing more on the matter. Overall, cool piece, man! Also, I believe you're graduating high school like me this year. May I ask what you're doing after you graduate? You can PM me if you don't want the world to know. ;) Anyway, keep up the good work, RoVeRDude58. ^^

[~Lost in Fantasy~]

I like the synths at the beginning. Initial melody has a strange sense of longing, which then leads into a pretty epic climax. I thought the synth that popped in around :14 covered up the melody a little too much, but I liked the filters. The bass around :30 was also a little bit loud. The sweep at :38 was a little lack-luster IMO, although the one at :42 was much more interesting. The drums were cool, though. I liked the smooth, high-riding pads and the pizzicato-esque vibe almost all of the other instruments had. The way you exposed the drums at 1:36 made for an interesting breakdown. Also, nice job with the atmosphere in this one. The ending was a bit sudden. It could've used a final crash or something, just to make it feel more conclusive. Still, overall nice work Larrynachos! ;) Keep at it, man!

larrynachos responds:

Ah yeah, that damned bass XD

Thanks for the review TL :D

[Cluck Old Hen]

I like this! It has an old-fashioned, feel-good vibe to it. It's very down-to-earth, as if it really were just a lone country boy sitting outside of a convenience store and improvising on his guitar, trying to win over people's spare change. ;) I admire your skills with the guitar, and while it's not really a complete piece, its simplicity is the reason for its beauty. Good work, man. Keep it up! ^^

Fizzento responds:

Thanks!